


After Wall Maria

by honeypower



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 15:25:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeypower/pseuds/honeypower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The battle is over, Wall Maria is lost</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Wall Maria

Hanji let her body sink into the soft cushion of the armchair. Her nerves were on edge and she could feel the grime and dried blood from the past days on her skin. She could not believe she was still alive. The commander was trying to give a small debriefing, but nobody seemed to be able to comprehend what he was saying. Levi was standing on the other side of the room, looking at his blades lost in thoughts. Even now she could not help, but react to all of his movements even though they were not on the battle field anymore. The rising sun shining into the room was harsh and made her squint through her dirty goggles.

"...as the situation stands, we are going to have to abandon Wall Maria-," Irvin said only to be interrupted.

"I can still fight! Please let us go in just one more time. We almost managed to get them!" Standing up she noticed how heavy her 3D maneuver gear felt. Tears were running down her face as she spoke. She was exhausted.

"We've all been awake for three days. We fought and we did our best. There is nothing we can do as it stands. And before we take any further steps, we should all get some rest," Irvin replied in a calm voice. As always.

"What if they attack again? How can you be so calm?!" Hanji asked, gripping the handles of her blade-less swords.

"What do you expect him to do, Hanji? Freak out like you're doing right now?" Levi interrupted without looking up from his blades.

"As I said, you fought courageously. Honor the brave souls of those who cannot be with us anymore and please get some rest."

"You are a pathetic, sadistic man, Irvin! How dare you even speak of them?!" She was ready to jump onto him, but before she could make any sudden movements, Levi grabbed her by the arms and dragged her flailing body out of the room. As he pulled her out she noticed the faces of her comrades. All of them looked like gaunt, depressed versions of their former selves. Was this how things were going to be from now on?

"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Levi asked pushing her against a wall. "Just because we are in a state of emergency, doesn't mean that protocol doesn't exist anymore!"

"You know that we could have done it!" She said wrestling out of his grip. "Just one or two more hours. We could have done it! I mean, have you even thought about what this all means? We've lost Wall Maria! Think of all the people who are still out there!" Her voice was strained from crying and shouting.

"There is no way we could have done it. For each titan we killed another three were entering through Shinganshina. Apart from that we were running out of blades and there is no more gas. And frankly we have run out of people, too."

"But, there must be something we can do. Something! After all the progress we made, we have to start from scratch again!"

He grasped her hands that were still holding onto the handles and began to loosen her fingers, making her drop them. Then he undid the 3D gear and it dropped to the ground with a loud clunk.

"Leave this here. It will still be here when you return tomorrow. Now go get some rest." And with that he turned to leave.

"Please don't go...," Hanji said, but he continued to walk away.

"Levi!" she shouted. He turned around reluctantly. It was strange. After spending three days fighting by his side and being near him, reacting to his every move seemed natural. She had not planned to cover him during the titan attack. They hadn't even been training partners. But on the battle field all plans fall apart and intuition takes over. Meeting him out there, while slaying titans, had been like meeting him all over again.

"I don't want to be alone now," she finally said and walked towards him. She knew she would fall apart if she didn't.

"Whatever...," he sighed and started to walk again.

"Can I come with you?"

"If you can't help yourself."

Fifteen minutes later, they had arrived in his room. Hanji made a beeline for his bed, but he stopped her in time.

"But, I'm tired," she said trying to pull away.

"There is no way I'm going to let you sleep like that. I'll run a bath for you. You are lucky we have warm water here."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." She slumped to the ground only to be woken a few moments later.

"Sorry, I fell asleep. Is it ready yet?"

"Yes, I'll wait."

 

Staying awake was torture, but being taken care of by Levi like this was some cruel kind of heaven. She slid into the lukewarm water and felt a burning sensation on her injuries. Rubbing soap onto her shivering body she pulled her legs towards her body. Everything felt surreal. The appearance of unusual titans. The deaths. The fact that Wall Maria had been lost. Nothing made sense. Without thinking about it, she dipped her head under water. She could hear her heart beat. The proof that she was indeed alive and not in some kind of hell. What would happen to all the people? What difference would it make if she drowned now? She heard a knock on the door and remained silent. She heard him enter and stayed under water anyway, he eyes tightly shut.

"Oi, Hanji!" He lifted her out of the water. "What the fuck?"

She took a deep breath and snorted water out of her nose.

"Sorry I think I fell asleep," she answered hoping he hadn't seen through her. To her surprise he was genuinely angry.

"Don't give me such crap! And never do that again." He paused and she saw him realize that she was nude. She did not mind, these were strange times after all. "Turn around. I brought a medical kit for that large cut on your back."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I'm trying not to think about it."

She tensed as he applied the antiseptic. The cotton ball felt fluffy and soft, but left a stung along her injuries. After that he applied soap to her body, rubbing it in with a spare washcloth. His hands were swift in lathering her up and rinsing her.

"There is a spare shirt of mine in the bag over there. You can wear it in the meantime. We'll be getting new uniforms soon."

"What are you going to do about that cut on your brow? It'll need some stitches." she asked.

"It's nothing big. I'll take care of tomorrow," he replied running his hands through his hair. " We were lucky, you know."

"I know." She tried to smile, but she couldn't

She put the shirt on and took in his scent. A warm feeling spread throughout her body. How many steps was it to the bed?

* * *

Levi let out the grimy water and took a quick bath. As he let the water in, his own fatigue started settling in. He closed his eyes and replayed the last couple of minutes. When Hanji entered the bathroom, she had left the door slightly ajar. He couldn't help but watch her undress. Her body covered in cuts and bruises. He had never fought alongside someone so reckless and selfless. And now she was probably fast asleep in the bed. Just a few days ago they were simply comrades, but what were they now?

Upon returning to the main room, he found Hanji leaning on to the bed, fast asleep. She hadn't even made it onto the bed. He lifted her with the last bit of energy, making sure to avoid the sore spots. Looking at her as she slept he knew that whether he liked it or not, the past days had created a bond that would probably last forever. He crawled into the blankets next to her, wanting to finally fall asleep, but not sure what to do with himself.

"I'm not asleep. And I saw you looking at me, Levi," she said smiling, her eyes half open.

"How are you not yet asleep?"

"You woke me up when you lifted me."

"I didn't mean to."

"What do you think will happen to all the people from Wall Maria? What do you think will happen to humanity?"

"I'd rather not think about that right now."

She got hold of his arm under the covers and put it around her waist.

"Hold me like this."

He leaned in and took in the scent of her hair. She was soft and warm.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this angsty Levihan fluff. If the story seems familiar (which I doubt) that's because I had posted it on my dreamwidth account before, but I'd love to move my fics here for now.


End file.
